Humanity’s quest to touch the stars began nearly 70 years ago when the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik I, was launched into space by the Soviet Union in October 1957.
The first astronauts followed a few years later, circling the Earth and witnessing its bright beauty amid the void of the cosmos.
In 1969, astronauts from NASA’s Apollo 11 mission left boot prints on the surface of the moon.
Spaceflight missions have grown longer over time, breaking old records and setting new ones for distance and duration while pushing the boundaries of what humans can do in space.
Robotic explorers have landed on Mars, embarked on a sightseeing tour of other planets and flown through the furthest reaches of our solar system — and even dared to venture beyond.